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Kamala Harris Won't Support Gorsuch Because He 'Consistently Valued Legalisms'

Kamala Harris / Getty Images
March 27, 2017

Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.) said last week she will vote against Judge Neil Gorsuch's nomination for the Supreme Court because he values the law above "achieving justice for all Americans" when considering rulings.

Harris wrote an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle in which she argued against Gorsuch's nomination because he has sided with the law instead of the American people.

"Judge Gorsuch has consistently valued narrow legalisms over real lives," wrote Harris, who quoted former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall's saying that "You do what you think is right and let the law catch up."

Harris appeared to be arguing that judges should put certain personal considerations over the laws in question when deciding cases if it helps struggling individuals.

The California Democrat said "stellar" credentials are not enough to win her confirmation vote.

"Some argue that if a nominee has a stellar legal resume, he or she is qualified to sit on the bench and our job is done. I disagree," Harris wrote. "As U.S. senators, we have an obligation to also examine a nominee's legal approach and ask whether he or she considers the impact of those decisions on our society and the daily lives of our people."

Harris praised Gorsuch's credentials but said his rulings have not "achieved justice for all Americans."

"President Trump's nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, certainly has a paper resume that would impress legal scholars," Harris said. "But his rulings repeatedly have failed to achieve justice for all Americans."